News
Maiduguri Flood: WFP, Borno Government Provide Hot Meals to Displaced Persons
Maiduguri Flood: WFP, Borno Government Provide Hot Meals to Displaced Persons
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has set up in Borno State providing emergency food assistance to communities affected by massive flooding that has displaced over 230,000 people in the northeast Nigeria state.
A statement on Thursday said WFP’s is working to provide hot meals to 50,000 of the worst affected children, women, and men who have lost their homes in what has been described as the worst flooding in northeast Nigeria in 30 years.
The devastating floods occurred as a dam near Maiduguri collapsed due to torrential rains, forcing the river water to overrun 50 percent of Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State. The State Government has issued evacuation orders to residents in the affected areas, while appealing for humanitarian support.
WFP’s Country Director and Representative., David Stevenson said: “Maiduguri is facing a crisis within a crisis, with conflict, record food price inflation and now floods displacing hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom were already cut off from their farms,”
According to the statement, WFP has established food kitchens in three camps – Teachers’ Village, Asheikh, and Yerwa – to provide meals to flood-hit people over the next two weeks. The kitchens provide nutritious cooked rice and beans to affected families. Specialized nutritious foods are also being provided to children, pregnant women and nursing mothers to cover their nutritional needs. However, additional assistance will be critical to restore stability and support recovery.
The statement said that WFP swiftly dispatched UN humanitarian air service (UNHAS) helicopters to conduct an interagency aerial assessment of damage in Maiduguri and its surroundings. The rapid assessment showed that the immediate needs of the affected people include food, shelter, and clean water.
Stevenson speaking on the intervention, added that: “What we have seen from the air is just terrible. Thousands of people are on the streets or staying with friends and relatives. The city has been hit by massive destruction to properties and livelihoods. We need urgent global support to save lives,”
The WFP, said in Nigeria, over 800,000 people in 29 states have been affected by floods as of September 2024, and over 550,000 hectares of cropland have been flooded. Some 32 million people in the country are already facing acute hunger, according to the March 2024 Cadre Harmonisé food security analysis.
The statement revealed that in order to ensure continued support to flood-affected people in Maiduguri and other food insecure people in the northeast for the next six months, WFP urgently requires US$147.9 million.
Maiduguri Flood: WFP, Borno Government Provide Hot Meals to Displaced Persons
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Sector 1 under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued two kidnapped victims in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
Security sources said the incident occurred at about 3:50 a.m. on April 15 when troops deployed at Kyado responded to a distress call on kidnapping activities in the area.
According to the sources, the troops swiftly moved to the scene, prompting the kidnappers to abandon their victims and flee.
The sources added that the troops successfully rescued the two victims and reunited them with their families.
Security operations have been intensified in the area to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent further incidents.
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops have arrested the second-in-command to a notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Auta, alongside his wife in Gombe State following an intelligence-led tracking operation across multiple locations.
Sources said the suspects, identified as Bala, popularly known as “Pakapaka,” and his wife, Zulaha Bala, were intercepted after fleeing from Dajin Madam Forest in Plateau State.
According to the sources, the arrests were the result of sustained intelligence surveillance and coordinated ground tracking by security operatives targeting fleeing members of the criminal network.
The suspects are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation to determine their level of involvement in the group’s activities and possible connections with other cells operating within and outside the region.
In a related development, troops conducted follow-up patrols around Bayar village in the Duguri axis after intelligence indicated that the main bandit kingpin had fled into the area.
However, no contact was made during the search operation.
Security sources said troops have continued to dominate the general area with sustained patrols aimed at denying criminal elements freedom of movement and disrupting their operational networks across Plateau, Taraba, and adjoining states.
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
Troops rescue 12 kidnapped victims, arrest kingpin’s aides in Plateau–Taraba forest operations
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops conducting ongoing clearance operations under Operation Wutan Daji have rescued 12 kidnapped victims and arrested key associates of a fleeing bandit leader during coordinated offensives across forested areas linking Plateau and Taraba States.
A military source said the operations, carried out on April 15 and 16, involved troops of the 33 Artillery Brigade in conjunction with an Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) tactical team.
According to the source, the operations were conducted in the Dajin Madam and Kumbodoro forest axis, spanning parts of Plateau and Taraba States.
The source said the sustained offensive led to the recovery of 12 kidnapped victims who escaped from their captors during the pressure mounted by troops.
The victims were subsequently taken into custody for profiling before being moved to an Internally Displaced Persons facility in Fukuk.
Troops also recovered a Dane gun, a fabricated AK-47 rifle and a power bank during the operation.
Troops rescue 12 kidnapped victims, arrest kingpin’s aides in Plateau–Taraba forest operations
Troops rescue two kidnapped victims in Benue
Troops arrest suspected ammunition racketeer in Cross River
Troops arrest bandit kingpin’s Deputy, wife in Gombe following intelligence operation
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